Citizen journalist released after two months in prison
Sudanese citizen journalist and activist Usamah Mohamad was released after two months in prison.
Mohamad, who was arrested in Khartoum, thanked on Twitter his supporters and those who had campaigned for his release.
Far from being discouraged by the goverment's attempt to silence him, the citizen journalist seemed all the more determined as he tweeted upon his release on Friday "struggle continues".
The young activist was detained on June 22 by National Intelligence Security Service (NISS) officers as he was covering the wave of protests that was sweeping through the country.
The citizen journalist was detained along with @Arch_Asaad, a Sudanese architect. Unlike Mohamad, @Arch_Asaad was released on the day of their arrest.
Usamah Mohamad was arrested as part of a brutal crackdown to silence peaceful protesters, activists, and journalists.
The movement, known as the Sudan revolts on social media, started on June 16 when Sudanese students took to the streets of the capital after President Omar Al-Bashir announced a series of austerity measures aimed at reducing the government $2,4bn budget deficit.
The movement quickly gained momentum as the days passed, transcending mere student activism to include calls for an end to the 23-year-old regime of Bashir.
People protested in dozens of areas in Khartoum including Omdurman, Madani, Sennar, Gedarif, Port Sudan, Hasahisa. Several towns across Sudan also joined the movement.
Despite a promising start, the protests, which were fairly small, usually drawing crowds in the hundreds, have petered out after the first few weeks in the face of the government response, which included tear gas, batons and torture accroding to human rights organisation.
In a report published in June, Human Rights Watch said scores of protesters, journalists and opposition members had been arrested. The report also accused Sudan forces of beating people in detention and using rubber bullets and even live ammunition to break up protests.
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